installation 010 — Kristen Liu

NEST HQ was created with the intention of being a platform that would promote and encourage the growth of artists of all genres and mediums. While we’ve mainly worked within music up to this point, we are expanding on an idea that will showcase multi-media artists of non-musical backgrounds such as painters, designers, architects, and others of the sort; this is installation.

For installation 010, we present painter and graphic designer: Kristen Liu.

Can you tell us a bit about how your story as an artist began? At what point did you realize that art was something you’d be doing long-term?

I’ve always appreciated art from a very young age because my mom is an elementary art school teacher. And I guess I just always drew things and I think because I drew so much when I was younger I got better and better at it. I didn’t decide that it was going to be a career path for me though until late in high school when I realized I didn’t want to be a doctor and art was what I was really best at and loved.

What is the reason for the medium you chose to become proficient in? What does this medium allow you to do that other mediums may not?

I primarily paint in acrylic and acrylic gouache on cradled wood panels. Because I usually flat paint with minimal shading, acrylic was the best choice. I also like how quickly both paints dry since I tend to do a lot of detailed patterning and I rest my hand on the panel as I work. Acrylic gouache is great, not only because of the wide range of colors but also because it is slightly more fluid than acrylic so I can easily get super detailed line work that is smooth.

What were the inspirations behind these three pieces specifically?

Nobody’s Fool: In a lot of ways, this painting was a technical experiment and challenge for me, which was primarily why I made it. This was the first painting I ever did that featured such a large and detailed figure that wasn’t in a mural. I had also never done a transparency over that large an area (the curtain) and it was so scary to go right over what I had spent hours painting and have to get it smooth and perfect in one try. I hadn’t done a larger detailed still life for a while so I tried to get pretty elaborate with all the objects.

Wrestling: I painted this piece over Thanksgiving, and actually got in trouble for sneaking off to work on it haha. I wanted to do a reinterpretation of Hercules and the Hydra so I decided to feature a two headed snake instead and Hercules would be replaced by one of my warriorlike women. I decided to include the second female figure who is taking a more caressing approach to the snake because I wanted to imply conflicted feelings about it.

Bisected Still Life: This piece was one of the first still life paintings that I ever made (maybe the first?) and that’s why it’s so important to me! I usually do more narrative and figurative work but I also think it’s important to be able to do a piece that challenges your technical and compositional skills. Still Life paintings are fun too because I love choosing objects to paint that can imply a story while maintaining their ambiguity. Also I know I tend to paint a lot of violent or sexually charged pieces so it is nice to be able to do something that might have subject matter that’s a little more accessible to certain audiences.

What are some of the defining moments in your career so far? How have they affected the way you approach your art and your creations?

I guess one of the moments that sticks out for me the most was when I had my three person show at New Image Art with Luke Pelletier and John F. Malta. It was the first time I had ever shown with New Image and I was just COMPLETELY blown away by the fact that I got this chance so many of my art heroes, people I had looked up to in high school and college, had shown in this gallery and the fact that I was even allowed to put my stuff up on their walls helped me think that maybe I could have a future in making art. This show gave me so much confidence in what I was making and confidence is incredibly important to being able to create something and then put it out there for everyone to see and judge.

How do you feel the industry is doing right now? Which trends are really pushing the industry forward, and which are holding it back?

It’s hard for me to answer this question because one of the things I dislike most about working in art is the realization that it’s also a gigantic business and I’m terrible at all things that have to do with business. I would much rather just hole myself away and paint and not have to think about sales and contracts and bills, I prefer to think of art as some beautiful ideal but I’ve also had to face the fact that it is a moneymaking industry which isn’t bad but is just a fact. I do really like that the line between fine art and illustration is beginning to dissolve. When I first started showing I remember a gallery asked me to not mention that I studied Illustration because some buyers wouldn’t appreciate that fact, so that stigma is still kind of around but I really hope that stupid shit like that won’t really matter soon.

What are some other artists that you are currently into?

I just found this artist on IG, Mark Alsweiler. His paintings, his sculptures, everything is so awesome, I really wish I could make work like his. And when I was out in NYC for a week I saw the Coney Island/Steve Powers exhibit and then went to visit his sign painting shop in Brooklyn. I’ve been a fan of his work for a while but seeing his stuff in person was amazing. I tend to do ultradetailed work so I really admire painters who can do giant, eyecatching works that are simple and can be read from far away.

What are some of your goals for 2016?

To get through it! This is the first year that I’m trying to completely rely on my own art as a source of income so I really want to be able to make it both financially and artistically. I also really hope that my art grows because I can now focus solely on it, so we’ll see. It’s been really tough so far and it can completely batter away at your selfesteem but I really don’t want to have to admit defeat to myself.

Why did you choose these pieces to represent yourself on this spread?

I think they’re my best (so far!). I try to improve or do something different with every piece even if it’s just a little thing, and I count these pieces as successful outcomes of that effort.